Day came and ended, with a new sun starting to shine over the academy.
Students hurried between lecture halls, instructors barked orders across training grounds, and the steady rhythm of wooden weapons striking one another echoed through the valley.
Yet before the sun had risen, another matter had already begun.
An hour after Garret submitted his report, a messenger hurried through the upper halls of Blue Leaf Academy.
He reached the tallest tower, where the office of Principal Athenok overlooked the entire campus.
The old principal stood beside an open window, his blue robes stirred by the cool mountain wind as he quietly read reports regarding the incoming first-year students.
A knock came. "Principal, may I come in?"
"Enter," Athenok permitted.
The messenger stepped inside and bowed. "The weapon instructors have submitted an unusual request."
Athenok accepted the parchment. His calm eyes slowly traveled down its contents.
At first, there was nothing unusual.
